South
The South chapter covers the regions of both the South East and the South West, including Berkshire, Bristol, Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, East Sussex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Surrey, West Sussex, and Wiltshire.
Created in 2023 and officially becoming an independent chapter as of 2026, our focus is on promoting Japan-related events in these areas, as well as hosting online events for our chapter members. We held our first in-person event (an Autumn Leaves walk in the New Forest) in November 2025.
We ask everyone to please share information with us about any upcoming local Japan-related events in the South East or South West that you know about! The South is a large and wide-reaching region, so we'd really appreciate our members' help to keep everyone informed!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jetaasouth/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jetaasouth/
Chair, CreatorElla Donaldson
CIR, Oita, 2018 - 2020
After initially being on the waitlist for JET, I got upgraded to the shortlist and sent to Beppu, a place I’d never heard of at the time!
Beppu soon became a second home, and I got involved with various local events (even getting to do the English announcements for one of them!), the Rugby World Cup, a photography exhibition by a local photographer, the Oita AJET Committee, and much more!
But most importantly, I made so many good friends (and met my now-fiancé!) on JET, still keep in contact with many of them, and hope to help JETs maintain their interest in and love for Japan even after returning home!
I created the South Chapter so that JETs outside London could feel more connected, both to local Japan-related events in their area and to their fellow JETs, as until then a lot of the big events anywhere near us had been in London, which can get expensive when having to travel from outside the city. I hope our events can bring together JETs based in the South East and South West!
Vice-ChairHolly Walder
ALT, Gunma, 2022 - 2024
As a 2022 JET, we were the first fresh cohort after COVID delayed departures. I got placed in Gunma, in a small town called Kanra Town that even many Gunma natives hadn't heard of!
JET gave me so many experiences I never even considered knew were possible, and made me into a more confident person. As a member of my AJET committee, I raised money for Ukrainian refugees in Japan, had my photos exhibited and published in a magazine, joined a samurai parade, canyoned drop down a waterfall, I even started the new Fashion section for the AJET Connect magazine and interviewed some of my favourite designers... In Japanese!
I still speak to most of the friends I made in Japan, and connect by playing Stardew Valley, and Baldur's Gate 3 together. My number one recommendation is to get involved in the local community; your school, your town, your local AJET committee; you never know where it might lead